Classroom environments can have diversity culturally and socially. Within the environment each student has a unique family and family history. Students will investigate, learn, and share information about their own families and heritages including family traditions, cultural traditions, languages, and generational family history (past two generations).

After this unit, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate chronological thinking by distinguishing among past, present, and future using family or school events.
- Investigate a family history for at least two generations, identifying various members and their connections in order to tell a narrative about family life.

The teacher will engage in a read-aloud with the picture book "Me and My Family Tree" by Joan Sweeney or a similar text. As the teacher reads through the story, they will share information about their own family and allow students to share short stories about their families. This project will be done in the Fall while the students are just starting to get to know each other.

Students will interview their families to complete a family questionnaire, a family tree template, and an interactive family timeline. The final product will be a family tree digital book.

The tools that could be used are Google Slides, Padlet, Book Creator, or a Google Docs page with the student work imported. They can also use Powtoons or Adobe Spark to include sound with storytelling.

Week 23, Day 3--Day 5
My Brother Martin--nonfiction--Christine King Farris, illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet
The author is the sister of Martin Luther King, Junior. The book is called My Brother, Martin, and in it she tells what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.
Introduce Book and Preview Technical Vocabulary
Teach Text Structure
Model a Comprehension Strategy and Ask Questions During Reading
Engage Students in Discussion
Update Text Structure Anchor Chart
Teach Sentence Composing
Assign or Model Written Response
Review and Share Written Responses
*Planning Notes
This book is an example of narrative nonfiction. The approach to vocabulary taken in this plan is to address a few key terms (the names of the principal people) and also some Tier 2 words.
During the first day, we suggest that you construct the family tree shown below, and that you add to it as characters are introduced.
Note that the “I Have a Dream” Speech is available on YouTube. If you have time, consider playing it.